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Treasure in Heaven (6:19–24) 12:33–34; Luke 11:33-36; 16:13
In Luke, we see the material found here in Matthew discussed in
three different locations. So the question is this, did Matthew
gather this material from Luke in order to give a more systematic
or topical discussion here, as he tends to do elsewhere, or did
Luke separate parts of Matthew’s unified story and use them as
needed to make interesting points later? The fact that Matthew
wrote before Luke would support this last position. Yet, it
actually seems that Matthew is systematizing various teachings of
Jesus, bringing them all together in this one place to make a
point—as he did with the Lord’s Prayer earlier. But then again,
perhaps it is just as likely that Jesus covered this same material
on more than one occasion and in different contexts. Jesus
continues to talk about reward for the believer. “There is a clear
continuity of thought between the idea of a secret, heavenly reward
in vv. 1–6, 16–18 and the subject of treasure in heaven….”1 In
those earlier verses we read, “…for then you will have no reward
from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1, ESV) “…Truly, I
say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:2, ESV) “…
And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:4,
ESV) ““… Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
(Matthew 6:5, ESV) “… And your Father who sees in secret will
reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV) In 6:19-24, the idea of reward
experiences a new orientation; it is not the heavenly treasure that
is the focus, but the earthly one, and the ultimate problem with
such rewards. And, as far as immediate continuity is concerned, we
should note that our recent study, vss. 16-18 “…warn against
excessive asceticism [fasting], [while] vss. 19–21 argue against
the opposite, indulging in material luxuries.”2 It would seem that
we are to strike a balance between the two. That no doubt is a key
to understanding both. We should also remember the petition “Give
us this day our daily bread,” (Matthew 6:11, ESV) so recently
mentioned. It was brief. Generally our prayers have much more to
say about the material needs of our life than this. So what lies
before us is an expansion on those issues. Two Treasures
(6:19-6:21) Luke 12:33–34 The material above on giving, praying and
fasting (6:1-6:18), has reminded us of the importance of eternal
reward. Laying up treasure on earth would correspond to doing these
acts of worship ostentatiously for personal fame. Here we are again
warned not to do that, not to lay up treasure, or reward, on earth.
The following discussion on 1) treasures (6:19-21), 2) visions
(6:22-23) and 3) Masters (6:24) readdresses the subject of reward
giving attention to the material rewards
1 R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (The New International
Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publication Co., 2007), 257. 2 Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the
Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the
Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49) (ed. Adela
Yarbro Collins; Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on
the Bible; Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), 429.
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available to the hypocrite. Some people do not care about
others, but they care very much that they have money in the bank.
It is this issue that Jesus is addressing here. Warnings on Wealth
This section is not addressing the evils of working for a living
and supporting your family. It is addressing covetousness, greed
and the love of money.
“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against
all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance
of his possessions.”” (Luke 12:15, ESV) “Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the
plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
(Matthew 23:25, ESV) “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on
your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not
consist in the abundance of his possessions.”” (Luke 12:15, ESV)
“The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things,
and they ridiculed him.” (Luke 16:14, ESV)
“And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like
to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces
and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor
at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long
prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”” (Mark
12:38–40, ESV)
I’m not sure the Jews were any more covetous then than our
culture is today. So, whether it be their day or ours, love of
money will destroy your soul. That is what this section is
about.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his
soul?” (Matthew 16:26, ESV)
James appears to be making a similar point saying:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are
coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are
moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion
will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You
have laid up treasure in the last days.” (James 5:1–3, ESV)
Luke records a story told by Jesus that expands on this
idea:
“And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up
for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him,
‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you
have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”” (Luke 12:19–21,
ESV)
Paul is very clear:
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“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is
through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10, ESV)
Jesus had himself covered this point on several occasions.
“And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only
with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 19:23, ESV)
As a result, this passage in Matthew generates something of a
dilemma for us. For “Elsewhere the Scriptures require a man to
provide for his relatives (1 Tim 5:8), commend work and provision
for the future (Prov 6:6–8), and encourage us to enjoy the good
things the Creator has given us (1 Tim 4:3–4; 6:17).”3 Matthew 6:19
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, We recently read
about the praise of men for giving, praying and fasting and how it
results in laying up reward or treasure on earth. We are told not
to give, pray and fast that way. We are not told to stop giving,
praying and fasting. So the issue here is not necessarily a do, or
not do, scenario; shall I work or not work? Like the first three
topics it is your intent, purpose or goal that is the point. It
really is a given that people must lay up some treasure on earth.
If you don’t you will become destitute. But is that the sole intent
of your work? This is what Jesus is addressing. You can dedicate
yourself to material rewards and thereby lose eternal ones. It’s a
matter of focus and priorities.
What Are the Options? At first reading, this section appears to
suggest two options with the necessity of picking one or the other:
shall I live for wealth and have nothing in heaven, or shall I live
in poverty that I might have eternal reward? And in fact, through
the centuries there have been many that committed themselves to
poverty that they might possess eternal reward and probably not a
few that did the opposite. But is this what the passage teaches? In
seeking an answer, one might ask, does living in poverty advance
the kingdom? Is living under a bridge and passing out gospel tracts
all day what Jesus is asking us to do? Or the opposite, living well
and doing absolutely nothing for the kingdom. Are these radical
behaviors our only choices? From what we read in the bible about
wealth and its virtue or at least possible virtue, this harsh
dichotomy does not appear to be the meaning of this passage. Let’s
peruse the verses and see what develops.
The words “lay up” and “treasures” are actually one Greek word4
used in both places. It is therefore saying do not “treasure up
treasures” the very sound of which seems to make the point. “The
command not to store up treasure on earth should not be
3 Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The
Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 177).
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 4 θησαυρίζω “To lay,
store or treasure up goods for future use….” Spiros Zodhiates, The
Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG
Publishers, 2000).
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understood to entail the renunciation of all possessions. In the
first place, the subject of 6:19 is ‘treasure’, not earthly goods
in general. In the second place, the verb, ‘to treasure’, refers to
accumulation, not simple possession.”5 This one word, treasure,
used twice in such close proximity is important in understanding
the passage. Jesus is forbidding “hoarding up treasures,” “piling
up treasure” or “heaping up treasure” not “acquiring goods” in
order to live. The term “lay up treasure” appears to miss the
point; it is simply not strong enough. So, hoarding and piling and
heaping up treasure on earth is criticized, but to acquire earthly
goods for the sake of making a living is not criticized and not the
subject of this discussion.
Treasure Is Actually a Positive Term The word used once instead
of twice in the same phrase, can be used in a positive way. This
Greek word, treasure, in these two verses makes that point where we
are encouraged to store up or save.
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something
aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no
collecting when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:2, ESV)
“Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will
not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children
are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for
their children.” (2 Corinthians 12:14, ESV)
5 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New York:
T&T Clark International, 2004), 630.
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So, storing up or saving up on earth is not universally wrong.
The reason for storing up determines the right or wrong. The phrase
on earth is a key here, “that the hoarding takes place on earth
determines its futility….”6 The treasure spoken of here is of a
material nature, the words moth, rust and steal make that clear.
The Blessings of Wealth The blessings and praise of material wealth
is common to the Old Testament.
“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city; the poverty of the poor
is their ruin.” (Proverbs 10:15, ESV) “Have you not put a hedge
around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You
have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have
increased in the land.” (Job 1:10, ESV) “And the LORD restored the
fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD
gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10, ESV)
But criticism of the wealthy was also common in the Old
Testament.
“Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes
of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you
shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but
you shall not drink their wine.” (Amos 5:11, ESV)
“Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone
loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to
the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.”
(Isaiah 1:23, ESV)
“The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes
of his people: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil
of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my
people, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of
hosts….” (Isaiah 3:14–16, ESV)
These verses are not a criticism of wealth, they are a criticism
on how some obtain wealth and what they do with it. So, what side
is Jesus on, is wealth good or is it bad? Yes, it is good or bad,
depending on your attitude and what you do with it.
Matthew 6 “does not prohibit “being provident (making sensible
provision for the future) but being covetous (like misers who hoard
and materialists who always want more)….”7 One should consider
Joseph in Egypt who laid up enormous amounts of food in
6 Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the
Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew
5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49) (ed. Adela Yarbro Collins; Hermeneia—a
Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress Press, 1995), 433. 7 Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F.
E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew,
Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 177). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing
House.
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provision for a coming famine. Notwithstanding the enormous
amount of savings, Joseph’s work was intended to meet the basic
living needs of the nation, not to use the poor to enhance his own
standard of living. The Ministry of Wealth We must also factor in
those that support the ministry of the Word. We can see that “the
itinerant and dependent lifestyle of Jesus and his disciples
depended on the support of those who had not divested themselves of
all their possessions (Luke 8:3; 10:38–42; John 12:1–2 etc.).”8
“and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and
Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their
means.” (Luke 8:3, ESV)
Savings and wealth make ministry possible. Recently in Matthew
6:3, we read of those who “give.”
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing,” (Matthew 6:3, ESV)
But to give requires that one have something, some wealth, to
give. Jesus “teaching as recorded in Mt 6:2–4; 25:31–46; and Lk
10:30–37 presupposes not the renunciation of all possessions but
their proper use; and the parables of Jesus, so many of which have
as their major characters landlords and landowners, masters and
stewards, slaveowners and slaves, never once engage in polemic
against the injustices of the economic system.”9 The Creation of
Wealth God commanded us to create wealth. Savings generate the
capital needed to advance civilization. A shovel (or any tool) is
capital, a product of savings, without savings a shovel cannot be
purchased. Without a shovel one is reduced to digging in the ground
with hands, sticks or rocks. It is with savings, capital or tools,
that we fulfill the creation mandate to subdue the earth and have
dominion over it.
“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over
every living thing that moves on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:28,
ESV)
Without savings, tools, it is most difficult to subdue or
exercise dominion over God’s creation. Without tools our influence
over creation does not arise above that of dogs or cats.
8 France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew (p. 259). Grand
Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co. 9 W. D. Davies and Dale
C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel
according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1; International Critical
Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004),
644.
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If this passage in Matthew were enforced on Believers in a wrong
way, Christians would become increasingly poor, possessing little
and not being able to do much to care for themselves or others or
advance the kingdom. All doctrines must be developed in the light
of all the scripture. Looking at the Bible as a whole, it is clear
that this is not what Jesus is asking us to do.
The Destruction of Wealth destroy10 This is now the second time
we’ve seen this word in this chapter.
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for
they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by
others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
(Matthew 6:16, ESV)
This word destroy is found twice in this paragraph as well in
6:19; 6:20 and twice more later in the New Testament.
Is there a relationship between 6:16 and these two verses before
us (6:19 and 6:20)? Perhaps a play on words? The hypocrites
disfigure or destroy their appearance that they might be seen by
others. Here moth and rust destroys material items that they might
not been seen by us. In both cases, reward is lost. It can be lost
in the pursuit of false piety and in seeking the acclaim of self by
others. It can also be lost in the pursuit of wealth and in seeking
the acclaim of self by others. Ultimately, it’s interesting in how
little difference there is between the two. But this point is
important: neither piety nor wealth are in themselves the problem.
In both cases, people take a good thing and make something bad out
of it.
Moth and rust destroy, refers to destruction by nature; thieves
break in and steal, refers to destruction by humans. “…treasures
treasured upon the earth are assailed from every direction.”11 Paul
sums up wealth earned now and for eternity saying:
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become
manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed
by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has
done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives,
he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will
suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through
fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12–15, ESV)
In Matthew, those false works would be hypocritical giving,
praying and fasting as well as treasure laid up on earth. If done
with wrong motives, all will be burned up on the last day, no
rewards will be earned.
10 ἀφανίζω “To remove out of sight. In the pass., to be removed
out of sight, disappear, vanish away….” Spiros Zodhiates, The
Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG
Publishers, 2000). 11 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A
Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint
Matthew (vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New
York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 630.
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In passing, we might note that the Roman Catholic Church has
used this verse to “prove” their doctrine of purgatory. One
Catholic commentator says this, “The last words clearly imply some
penal suffering, and as Paul connects it so closely with God’s
judgement, it can hardly be confined to suffering in this world,
but seems to include the idea of purificatory suffering after this
life, i.e. in purgatory.”12 However, even a casual reading of this
passage makes it clear that one’s “work is burned up”; it is not
the people that are burned up. It is not uncommon to find
scriptures twisted like this in order to defend a doctrine taught
by the Roman Church or other cults that is in fact contrary to the
Bible. It is this doctrine of Purgatory that was at the heart of
Luther’s conflict with the Roman Church in the sixteenth century.
The Roman Church offered relief from Purgatory if people would give
money to the Roman Church putting in the mouths of departed loved
ones: “"Pity us, pity us. We are in dire torment from which you can
redeem us for a pittance." Do you not wish to? Open your ears. Hear
the father saying to his son, the mother to her daughter, "We bore
you, nourished you, brought you up, left you our fortunes, and you
are so cruel and hard that now you are not willing for so little to
set us free. Will you let us lie here in the flames? Will you delay
the promised glory?" Remember that you are able to release them,
for as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from
purgatory springs.”13 -- John Tetzel, Dominican indulgence vendor.
From this horrible doctrine, the Reformation was born.
Matthew 6:20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break
in and steal. The Preservation of Wealth
How is one to lay up heavenly treasures? Matthew does not answer
that question. Although Matthew has “no explanation of how to store
up treasure in heaven, this lack is more than made up by the
broader context,
12 W. Rees, “1 and 2 Corinthians,” in A Catholic Commentary on
Holy Scripture (ed. Bernard Orchard and Edmund F. Sutcliffe;
Toronto; New York; Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson, 1953), 1087. 13
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/luther/lutherindulgences.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johann-tetzel-1.jpg
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Mt 5–7. Those who are rewarded by the Father in heaven are those
named by the beatitudes (5:3–12), those who are salt and light in
the world (5:13-16), those that address anger (5:21-26), lust
(5:27-30), divorce (5:28-32), oaths (5:33-37), retaliation
(5:38-42), who love enemies (5:43-48), those who practice their
piety in secret (6:1), those who give alms in secret (6:4), those
who pray in secret (6:6), those who fast in secret (6:18), and
those who love their neighbor as themselves (7:12).”14 This is how
one lays up treasure in heaven and it does not require that you
quit your job to do it.
Paul gives us a very succinct explanation as well.
“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous
and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a
good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that
which is truly life.” (1 Timothy 6:18–19, ESV)
Doing what Paul teaches here does not require that you divest
yourself of all your earthly goods. In fact, if you did, it would
be most difficult to be generous and ready to share. You have to
have something to share! “If one wants to benefit from the heavenly
treasures and be acceptable to God in the last judgment, one must
take the initiative here on earth by using one’s material goods for
the doing of good works.”15 Doing the things mentioned in I Timothy
6 does not require that we neglect our material wellbeing. However,
it does require that we put them second in our priorities
recognizing that they have a temporal value whereas I Timothy 6 has
eternal value.
So, the proof that one is laying up treasure in heaven is not
that one is attempting to have as little as possible in this life,
but that one is attempting to invest as much as possible in the
life to come.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also. The Location of Wealth heart The first thing we need to
look at here is the word heart. What does it mean? In our Western
world we view it in romantic terms. However, that is unique to our
era, not to the ancient history of the word. “Καρδία refers thus to
the inner person, the seat of understanding, knowledge, and will,
and takes on as well the meaning conscience.”16 It
14 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New York:
T&T Clark International, 2004), 632. 15 Hans Dieter Betz, The
Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount,
Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke
6:20-49) (ed. Adela Yarbro Collins; Hermeneia—a Critical and
Historical Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis, MN: Fortress
Press, 1995), 434–435. 16 Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider,
Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Eerdmans, 1990–), 250.
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is “the causative source of a person’s psychological life in its
various aspects, but with special emphasis upon thoughts—‘heart,
inner self, mind.’”17 “There is in the NT a rich usage of kardía
[heart] for
a. the seat of feelings, desires, and passions (e.g., joy, pain,
love, desire, and lust; cf. Acts 2:26; Jn. 16:6; 2 Cor. 7:3; Rom.
10:1; 1:24);
b. the seat of thought and understanding (cf. Mt. 7:21; Jn.
12:40; Acts 8:22; Mk. 11:23; Rev. 18:7; Rom. 1:21);
c. the seat of the will (e.g., Acts 11:23; 2 Cor. 9:7; Lk.
21:14); and d. the religious center to which God turns, which is
the root of religious life, and
which determines moral conduct….”18 So we can see that heart in
the Bible is not a word that was 1) primarily emotional in nature
and not a word that had 2) any semblance of romance as a part of
its meaning. Instead, it was a word that referred to 1) the inner
part of a person, what we would today call a person’s soul. It also
referred to 2) the mind of a person, the center of one’s thoughts.
One author “thinks there is no difference between “heart” (καρδία)
and “intellect” (νοῦς)….”19 This is because both translations are
from the same Hebrew word. In summary, “The “heart” represents the
core of a person’s being, the real inner person, the causative
source of a person’s spiritual, emotional, and psychological
life.”20 All this is necessary background to understand this verse.
“The point is that the things most highly treasured occupy the
“heart,” the center of the personality, embracing mind, emotions,
and will … and thus the most cherished treasure subtly but
infallible controls the whole person’s direction and values.”21
Where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. This is now
the third time Jesus speaks of the heart.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
(Matthew 5:8, ESV)
“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with
lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.” (Matthew 5:28, ESV)
17 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English
Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York:
United Bible Societies, 1996), 320. 18 καρδία Gerhard Kittel,
Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans,
1985), 416. 19 Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the Mount: A
Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the
Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49) (ed. Adela Yarbro
Collins; Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the
Bible; Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), 436. 20 Michael J.
Wilkins, Matthew (The NIV Application Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 294. 21 Carson, D. A. (1984).
Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 177). Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House.
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Jesus will again speak of the heart in a telling passage.
“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and
this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness,
slander.” (Matthew 15:18–19, ESV)
Reading the verse, one might wonder, why does it not read in
reverse, “where your heart is, there your treasure will be also”?
Logically speaking, thought and desire produce the motivation that
results in the accumulation of treasure or wealth. The reason for
the reversal of this logical order may be to direct us to look
first at the result of one’s life priorities and thereby be able to
conclude where the heart has been all the while—fixed on the flesh
and the world instead of on God. “…if the treasure which you have
gathered is upon earth, so will your heart, with its feelings,
dispositions, and tendencies, be also upon the earth…. From the
treasure, which is the result of effort and the object of love, the
heart also cannot be separated.”22 But will be is in the future,
not the past, “there your heart will be also.” The affections of
the heart, like a rolling snowball, acquire more and then desire
more, and then acquire more and then desire more, and so it
continues. The heart desires the wealth, and then it delights in
the wealth it has acquired. And this heart condition remains until
one steps into eternity to see the merit of such desires. And so
the heart will ever be for all eternity fixed on that which it has
desired. For some the treasure will endure and multiply, for others
it will dissipate and be lost. And so, there your heart will be for
eternity; it will delight with priorities wisely chosen, or it will
grieve with the loss of all that was ever valued.
What is in a person’s heart is that which he values most and
that which defines him best. So, the issue is not that one lays up
treasure, it is that wherever that treasure might be, that is where
your heart is.
So, what do you cherish?
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars
of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not
to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:6–7, ESV)
“…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2–3, ESV)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that
are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on
earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2, ESV)
“choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to
enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of
Christ greater wealth
22 Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, Critical and Exegetical
Handbook to the Gospel of Matthew (ed. Frederick Crombie; trans.
Peter Christie; vol. 1; Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the
New Testament; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1880), 216.
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than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”
(Hebrews 11:25–26, ESV)
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,”
says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their
deeds follow them!”” (Revelation 14:13, ESV)
“According to the theology of Jesus, then, the decisive point in
dealing with material goods is that of perspective. If one
envisions one’s life in the perspective of the treasures in heaven,
this perspective will inform and guide the human heart, which in
turn will decide what to do in one’s daily life.”23 “…the treasure
is eschatological and outside the heart, in heaven. The heart must
direct itself toward that treasure, and the disciple must walk on
the way toward the kingdom of God (7:13–14). Seeking the kingdom of
God and his righteousness will lead to the treasures in heaven (see
6:33).”24
“…one’s treasure tells the tale of one’s heart. A person is
worth what the object of his heart is worth.”25
“In this as in all the other areas of the Christian life the
true solution does not lie in abstinence or withdrawal. It lies in
the proper use and proper estimate of the things which God has
provided. In other words, we are not called upon to relinquish
things but rather use them under God’s direction. We are to use
them for the health and well-being of our family, for material aid
to others, and for the great task of proclaiming the gospel and
promoting Christian verities.”26 Two Visions (6:22-6:23) (Luke
11:33-36) What is this material all about? Standing by itself, this
material does not easily suggest a purpose. But, like is so often
the case, the context provides the answer, “the pericopes on either
side, both of which refer to concern with wealth.”27 With that in
mind, we will look carefully at the options that address treasure
and wealth.
23 Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on
the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew
5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49) (ed. Adela Yarbro Collins; Hermeneia—a
Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress Press, 1995), 435. 24 Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the
Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the
Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49) (ed. Adela
Yarbro Collins; Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on
the Bible; Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1995), 437. 25 W. D.
Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1;
International Critical Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark
International, 2004), 632. 26 James Montgomery Boice, The Sermon on
the Mount: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2002), 215. 27 Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1–13 (vol. 33A;
Word Biblical Commentary; Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998),
158.
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Jesus started this section with a discussion on two treasures,
one temporal, and one eternal. He now expanse this material with a
discussion on two visions, one good, one bad.
Theories of Vision In the ancient world, their view of vision
differs from what is commonly held today. A problem is introduced
by today’s exegetes when they assume the way we now think about
vision is the way it has always been. That is not so. The ancient
theory of vision is called the extramission theory, which “is the
proposal that visual perception is accomplished by rays of light
emitted by the eyes, [like beams from a flashlight, or as they put
it, a lamp]. This theory has been replaced by intromission theory,
which states that visual perception comes from something
representative of the object (later established to be rays of light
reflected from it) entering the eyes.”28 In keeping with the then
common understanding of how one sees, Jesus was speaking from the
point of view of the extramission theory of vision, light proceeds
from the inside to the outside. “The vast majority of commentators
have understood Mt 6:22–3 to mean that the eyes are like a window:
light enters the body through the eye. This interpretation is
anachronistic.”29 As a result, most commentaries incorrectly
explain this verse in terms of light entering the eyes and
illuminating the heart, allowing one to see either a good or a bad
heart. In fact, the point here is the opposite, the good or bad of
the heart is revealed by means of the light that leaves the heart
especially in focusing on what the heart cherishes, the good or the
bad. So, “the usual reading of our text cannot be correct, for the
following reasons. (1) Not only do ancient Jewish texts reflect the
conviction that the eye contains its own light, but in T. Job 18:3
this notion is brought into connexion with the eye/lamp simile. (2)
A lamp is not a medium through which light from another source is
channelled to an otherwise dark place. A lamp is rather its own
source of light. From this alone it follows that the eye/lamp
comparison would be natural only for one holding an extramission
theory of vision.”30
Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye
is healthy [good], [as a result] your whole body will be full of
light, lamp A lamp cast rays of light, very much like our
flashlights today. In this case the light is cast from within the
person to that which is outside the person in order to light up the
desires of one’s heart. “They imagined that the eye was like the
sun, both being senders of rays….”31 The heart directs the eyes to
what it desires.
28 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emission_theory_(vision) 29 W.
D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1;
International Critical Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark
International, 2004), 635. 30 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr.,
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew (vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London;
New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 635. 31 W. D. Davies
and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1; International
Critical Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark International,
2004), 635.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perceptionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_eyehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intromission_theory
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“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy,
[it is because] your whole body is full of light, but when it is
bad, [it is because] your body is full of darkness. Therefore be
careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body
is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as
when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”” (Luke 11:34–36,
ESV)
[morally] healthy32 There is in the two words, “healthy” (v 22)
and “bad” (v 23) a play on words. Both can refer to physiology,
meaning either a healthy eye or an unhealthy eye, and both can
refer to the moral, “generous” (v 22) or “stingy” (v 23). It
appears to be the intent of Jesus to use the physiological as an
analogy of the moral. Some have morally healthy vision and some
morally unhealthy vision. In this verse the translation would be
something like “(morally) good eye” (v 22) and in the next “evil
eye” (v 23). “…when the “evil” eye and the “good” eye are
contrasted the issue in most texts is malice, greed, envy, and
calculating behavior vs. kindness, generosity, and uprightness.”33
Within the context, with the two treasures earlier (vs 19-21) and
the two gods later (v 24), this context makes it abundantly clear
that the two options are in fact generous (v 22) and stingy (v 23).
The “healthy eye” in the Jewish culture is a generous eye.
“Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his
bread with the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9, ESV)
your whole body will be full of light “‘When your eye is ἁπλοῦς
[healthy] your whole body will be full of light’ means, a good eye
is evidence of inner light….”34 The healthy eye did not let light
in, it let light out. Because the inner person was full of light,
the light or goodness of his soul is shown by means of what he
chooses to look at.
“If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark,
it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you
light.”” (Luke 11:36, ESV)
From their point of view, the lamp shown out, not in. “…the
comparison never has to do with the eye conveying light to the
inward parts. On the contrary, in all six instances it is used to
create the picture of a light coming forth from the eye.”35 It
obtained its light
32 ἁπλοῦς “…used of the eye as not seeing double as when it is
diseased. When the eye accomplishes its purpose of seeing things as
they are, then it is haploús, single, healthy, perfect.” Zodhiates,
S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament.
Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. 33 Ulrich Luz, Matthew 1–7: A
Commentary on Matthew 1–7 (ed. Helmut Koester; Rev. ed.;
Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible;
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 333. 34 W. D. Davies and
Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the
Gospel according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1; International Critical
Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark International, 2004),
638. 35 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New York:
T&T Clark International, 2004), 636.
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from within. The eye gives you light by allowing you to see
where you are about to walk, casting its light before you. “Just as
the healthy, good eye sends light into the world, so too do the
righteous, filled with the light of God, dispel the shades around
them. They are like a lamp that gives light to its environment.
Which is to say: the picture is not of light coming in but of light
going out.”36 We don’t think this way today and it is therefore
easy for us to reverse it. Matthew 6:23 but if your eye is bad
[evil], [as a result] your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! bad37
“In view of the recognized meaning of the “bad eye” to denote
selfish greed or meanness, it seems likely that this saying is
meant to indicate that one indication of a person’s spiritual
health is their generosity or lack of it in the use of their
material possessions.”38
“A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that
poverty will come upon him.” (Proverbs 28:22, ESV)
your whole body will be full of darkness “What is involved is
the antithesis of generosity: selfishness, covetousness, an evil
and envious disposition, hatred of others.”39 The darkness was not
a product of an eye that did not let light in, the darkness was an
inner condition and the only thing that could shine forth from an
evil eye was darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how
great is the darkness! If what is within you is darkness, then that
is what will shine out. However, if there is in fact no light
shining out, then the darkness is indeed great. “How can light be
darkness? … “light” is put for the human wisdom of the natural man,
which is darkness….”40 So the evil eye lets out what turns out to
be bad things, greed, which in fact is actually darkness, not
light. There is a play on words, what one thinks is light,
something very good, turns out to be something very bad, darkness
of soul.
36 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New York:
T&T Clark International, 2004), 636. 37 πονηρός “…pertaining to
possessing a serious fault and consequently being worthless—‘bad,
worthless.’” Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1:
Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: Based on semantic
domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (623). New York:
United Bible Societies. 38 France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of
Matthew (p. 262). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.
39 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (vol. 1;
International Critical Commentary; London; New York: T&T Clark
International, 2004), 640. 40 Ethelbert William Bullinger, Figures
of Speech Used in the Bible (London; New York: Eyre &
Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co., 1898), 817.
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“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the
life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their
hardness of heart.” (Ephesians 4:18, ESV)
If you have an evil eye, if you are stingy and greedy, then in
fact you are in darkness, blind to that which is of eternal
significance. “Mt 6:23a–b, accordingly, tells us that just as a
‘good eye’, a proper disposition towards others, is an effect of
the light within, so similarly is a bad eye, that is, a selfish,
ungenerous, miserly spirit, the companion of inner darkness. Or, to
put it another way, while inner light leads to loving one’s
neighbour, inner darkness leads to illiberality and
niggardliness.”41 As you can see, this story of the generous eye
and the stingy eye, the two lamps, is a perfect expansion on the
story of the two treasures just discussed.
41 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(vol. 1; International Critical Commentary; London; New York:
T&T Clark International, 2004), 640.